Graveyard Spiral
by CelestialTomatoMonkey
Summary: Kozmotis Pitchiner, recently returned general, is looking forward to spending his leave with his daughter. Too bad the Zombie Apocalypse kind of ruins those plans. Between killing zombies and picking up hitchhikers, this is one vacation that will be anything but relaxing. Possible yaoi later, at least one established relationship, and a mix of gore and fluff. You have been warned.
1. Chapter 1

_`I'm kinda surprised that nobody came up with this sooner, but oh well. More fun for me. Guys, I've already started getting zombie themed nightmares and I've hardly even started. I'm wondering if that's a good sign or a bad one. It doubtlessly won't be the last time. I think I'll be an insomniac by the end of this. Also, don't expect frequent updates._

_Aster is Bunny_

_Tatiana is Tooth_

_I hope the rest are pretty obvious._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians, Guardians of Childhood, or Choice of Zombies._

_**IMPORTANT: **__ Everyone is human, and I'm going to use Kozmotis Pitchiner instead of Pitch Black, because he's a good guy here. I hope you guys enjoy~_

_**GRAVEYARD SPIRAL: **__The downward, corkscrew-motion of a disabled aircraft which is unrecoverably headed for a crash._

_In aviation, a graveyard spiral is a dangerous spiral dive entered into accidentally by a pilot who is not trained or not proficient in instrument flight when flying in instrument meteorological conditions._

_Synonym: Death Spiral_

**Just pretend this is a line, okay.**

Kozmotis Pitchiner sighed as he took a sip of his coffee. As usual, his energetic daughter had woken him up early in the morning. After almost two days of being back home from an assignment, the general was finally letting himself relax. Kozmotis was looking forward to the time he was going to spend with Seraphina. The house was peacefully quiet, save for the young girl's giggles as she watched him. They didn't have a lot of electronics in the house, mostly because Kozmotis couldn't get the stupid things to work for the life of him. They didn't have a television, a computer, or any kind of electric game system. They did their dishes by hand and dried their laundry on lines. Another reason for the lack of such appliances was because Seraphina loved playing outside. She didn't need to get her entertainment from a TV or computer. Some of the few things they did have were a radio and basic electricity, along with a heating and air conditioning system. Other than the radio, the only other source of information they had was the newspaper.

That was all they needed, and the two were perfectly happy with that. It was usually just he and Sera, most of the time when he was home. Kozmotis was generally shy around other people in normal situations. He was awkward and generally didn't like attention. The only time he was really okay with attention was when he was in command or taking control of a serious situation. Not to say he couldn't let loose every now and then, but still…

Kozmotis sighed and looked out into the little yard. He frowned, though when he spotted a couple of people out crouched in the grass. They were all hunched over something, something bloody. He thought he could see a limb or two being ripped away from what was certainly a body. There had been plenty of reports about the living dead, but it couldn't have spread as far east as they were. Not this quickly. But there they were, plain as day. A group of zombies were eating a corpse in his back yard.

Kozmotis set his cup down and carefully herded his daughter to the kitchen. If they could slip out before being noticed, that would be wonderful. "Sera, darling, I need you to go get the emergency bag. You know where it is, don't you, sweetheart?" He said as calmly as possible. There was no reason to make her panic. She looked up at him with big, honey brown eyes and nodded. "But why do we need it?" Kozmotis sighed and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "We need it because we have to go somewhere. It's very important." With that, he sent her off to get the bag, which had a first aid kit, some water and non-perishable food, and a few weapons with ammo for guns. While she was doing that, Kozmotis went to get a few extra weapons. So much for a nice vacation…

A minute later, Seraphina came back with the messenger bag full of supplies. She passed it up to her father, and he put the strap over his head and one shoulder. "Alright, sweetheart, it's time to go." The two headed out to the general's Prius. He didn't really need such a big car; he only lived with his daughter for heaven's sake, but it had been some odd sort of gift from an old friend of his. Kozmotis slid into the driver's seat and Seraphina took her seat behind his.

As they started off through their neighborhood, Kozmotis tried not to look at the people being dragged out of their houses or who were already being eaten. He could hear his daughter whimper behind him, and he quickly told her not to look. He could only hope that she listened. This was a truly terrifying situation to be in, and Kozmotis made a promise to himself right then that he would protect his daughter and keep her as safe as possible at all times. He wished he could say it would be okay, that they would be alright, but he knew that was a lie. There wasn't a very good chance of getting through this, but hell if he wasn't going to try.

Through the rear view mirror, Kozmotis could see a horde of zombies try to chase after their car. For the walking dead, they were moving pretty quickly. Eventually, the masses thinned out and gave up altogether as they found easier prey. Once they got into town, the infestation only seemed to be worse. There were zombies spilling out of almost every door and more of them were mulling around outside. The faster they got out of town and away from the more populated areas, the better. Within half an hour at least they managed to pass the city limits. Buildings gave way to open land, a few trees here and there, and the roads weren't quite as well maintained.

Hopefully with less people, there would be fewer zombies. It was alright for a few miles, and Kozmotis managed to talk his frightened daughter into a calmer state. This was too much for him to handle, much less a nine year old child. However, after a while longer of driving, Seraphina perked up and pointed. "Daddy, look!" she cried. He followed where she was pointing and saw a pair of zombies, who both appeared to be female, chasing after a boy along the road ahead of them. The boy looked to be at least in his late teens, maybe early twenties at the oldest. What caught his attention the most about the boy was his shock of white hair, which was a stark contrast to his and his daughter's dark hair. It was a stark contrast to most natural colours, actually. Vaguely, he wondered if it was the boy's natural hair colour.

There was a chance that he could save the young man, if he hadn't already been bitten. If he timed things right, Kozmotis could drive alongside the boy and open the door. If the young man had enough sense, he would try to jump in. It seemed risky, but he didn't want to let a life go if he could help it. Kozmotis slowed the car when they came upon the boy and the two zombies. The white haired boy turned to look at the car with wide blue eyes. "Sera, can you do something for me?" This was putting her in a little more danger, but he couldn't reach across to open the door without making the car swerve, and that might make the car hit the boy.

"I need you to open the door on the passenger side. Just pull the latch and give it a little push." Seraphina leaned over, looking just as scared as the boy outside. "Daddy…" She swallowed, and Kozmotis gave her a nod in an attempt to reassure and encourage her. With no small amount of apprehension, the little girl unbuckled her seatbelt and moved forward. She took hold of the door handle, her small hand shaking. "That's it, darling. You're doing so good." Kozmotis said, constantly flicking his worried golden gaze among her, the boy, and the road ahead of them. Seraphina jerked the handle and shoved the door open, quickly scrambling back into her seat. Once the door was open, the boy started to move closer to the open space. "Get in!" Kozmotis yelled to the boy, trying to slow down a little without letting the zombies catch up. "Gimmie a break, I'm trying!" the young man yelled back, giving Kozmotis an exhausted glare.

The first time he tried to get in, the young man tripped and nearly fell. He must have been running for quite a while. Kozmotis could feel his heart in his throat for a moment after the first attempt. The second try, he scrabbled for the door frame and did fall when he lost his grip. Cursing, Kozmotis glanced back through the rear view mirror to gage how far of a distance there was between the car and the zombies. They didn't have long. The white haired boy got up and winced, but he continued to run alongside the car.

In a last ditch effort, the boy jumped sideways and landed half in half out of the car. Kozmotis grabbed the boy's arm, dragging him in the rest of the way, and the boy slammed the door closed behind him. Now that he was safely inside the car, Kozmotis stepped down hard on the gas, leaving the two zombies behind as they sped away down the road.

They drove on in silence for a long time, all three of them trying to settle down, the boy heaving as he tried to catch his breath. Seraphina looked like she could cry at any given moment. It took quite a while for Kozmotis to calm down and get his heartbeat back down to a normal rate. He glanced over at the boy in the passenger seat, who had his eyes closed and his head tilted back against the headrest. "... Thanks…" he said after a moment, one eye now cracked open to look at Kozmotis. "Of course. I couldn't just leave you there." Actually, Kozmotis could have left him there, and could have driven away without the boy and saved himself and his daughter the trouble. But as a general, he felt it was his job to help those that could be helped. Besides that, he couldn't have handled the guilt.

"So, do I get to know the name of my knight in shining armor?" The white haired boy asked as he sat forward, as if trying to get a better look at the other. "Kozmotis," He replied, once again turning his attention to the boy for a few seconds. "Kozmotis Pitchiner." "Huh, odd name. I'm Jackson Frost, but everyone calls me Jack." Jack managed to summon a small grin, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Well, Jack, it's nice to meet you. Not to seem insensitive, but you didn't happen to get bitten, did you?" Kozmotis had to be sure. He couldn't risk the safety of his daughter or himself if this boy was infected. Just to be sure, Jack looked himself over before he answered that no, he had not been bitten.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you end up getting chased all the way out here?" He asked after another pause. "Oh, well my family has a little cabin out here that we were staying at, and my mom, my little sister, and I went out for a little walk. Some guy came up to us and started following us before he attacked my mom. She… ended up biting my sister…" Jack trailed off and looked down, and Kozmotis could only assume that the two zombies that had been chasing Jack were once his mother and sister. Seraphina decided to pipe up after that, still nervous but quickly recovering. "Don't worry, Mr. Jack," She said, scooting forward in her seat and using the back of the driver seat to lean closer. "We can be your family now! Daddy will keep you safe, too." Seraphina smiled at Jack, and Jack turned his head to smile back at her. "Ah, this is my daughter, Seraphina." Jack smiled again. "Cute kid." Kozmotis chuckled quietly to himself and looked ahead at the road. It seemed they had a new addition, and he hoped Jack would stay. He looked like a good kid, and Seraphina had already taken a shine to him.

"Well, Jack, if you do stay with us, then welcome to the family." After that, Seraphina began to chat away to Jack, asking him all kinds of questions as they drove. Jack happily answered every one, even asking a few of his own before Seraphina started asking for stories. It was nice to know Kozmotis had picked up someone who was good with kids.

A few hours passed like that before Jack paused in his story telling to ask a question. "So, where are we going?" Kozmotis hummed, brows furrowing. That was a very good question, and he didn't have a specific answer at the moment. The best he could do was give an idea. "It would probably be a good idea to get to a shelter, if there are any. We can't just drive forever, after all." With that said, he turned on the car radio, waiting for a moment for the static to pass. It seemed that the radio towers had been having some problems. There were probably a few zombie attacks there, too. Eventually, a weak signal came in and a scratchy voice came into focus. "… life-threatening situ… advising all survivors to t…shelter. Safe havens have been formed at the Burgess elementary school and the department store. A riot has broken out at the high school, and it is no longer considered safe. Please head to the elementary school or the department store…" As if on cue, the static flared up on the radio and drowned out the voice.

"I recommend the store. There may be less defenses, but it will have better supplies and possibly even weapons and ammo." Speaking of which, he should probably give Jack a gun to protect himself with. With that plan in mind, Kozmotis drove in the direction of the department store in the next little town over. Burgess, if he had guessed correctly from the radio. It would probably take a while for them to actually find a main road that lead to the town, but he didn't think that was such a bad thing. For now, staying away from populated areas seemed like a good plan.

While they drove, Kozmotis tried to make a little bit of small talk with Jack, who was alternating his attention between the general and the little girl behind them. They exchanged some information of the previous goings on in the world, touched in on the current happenings-though nobody really wanted to think about the zombies. "So, you seem to be pretty calm about all of this. You didn't even freak out when you helped me." Jack said as he leaned back a little in his seat. "Did you have some kind of training for that or something?" At that question, Kozmotis sighed and gave Jack a shallow nod. "I'm in the military; home on leave for a few weeks." He'd had plenty of drills pounded into his head, about learning to keep a level head in dangerous situations. Out of the corner of his eye, Kozmotis thought he saw Jack perk up a little.

"Really? What branch and rank?" It seemed like he had found a point of interest in the young man, or at least something that was familiar to the other. "I'm a general of the Army. I suppose I would have been called back to fight what's going on if there had been more warning. As it is, it seems like a very disorganized situation." It got quiet after that, and Kozmotis could just barely make out the sound of humming. Seraphina must have either gotten bored or nervous, and honestly, he couldn't blame the poor girl. She fell asleep a few hours later, though.

It was starting to get dark out when the three came upon an isolated little house on a hill. Kozmotis frowned, slowing the car down to get a better look. House really wasn't the right word for the building; it was more like a cottage. While it might be a good idea to stop for the night and rest, any people that might still be there could have been bitten or eaten. He would need a second opinion on this. He didn't want to ask his daughter, since that would mean waking her up, so it seemed like Jack would have to be the one to help him. A small nudge to the arm got the teen's attention quickly enough. "Jack, do you see that house there? The one on the little hill?" Kozmotis pointed it out and got a nod from Jack. "It has the potential to be a safe place to spend the night. If the owners haven't become zombies, that is. Do you want to look around to see if we can stop here?" He could practically see the gears turning in Jack's head as he eyed the cottage. "Well, it might be good to get off the road at night. But I don't think we should go up there without some sort of protection."

The young man's eyes went wide when Kozmotis grabbed a gun from the glove box. He handed that one to Jack, taking the second one that he had strapped to his hip for himself. "I hope you know how to use that." "Well… I have the basics down, but if we have time later, a lesson or two couldn't hurt." He gave Kozmotis a nervous smile. Lessons on weaponry would definitely be in order. "Alright Jack, I want you to stay here with Seraphina. Yell for me first if something happens; shoot if you have to. I'll go look around the house to make sure it's safe." Kozmotis opened the door to his side of the car and slid out of the seat, keeping his gun at the ready.

Slowly, carefully, the general moved toward the cottage, making sure to look all around him in case he was attacked. The area around the place looked well-kept and undisturbed, a few beds of brightly colored flowers hugging the sturdy looking walls. There were no zombies outside at least. Next, Kozmotis went back to the front door and knocked harshly. He stepped back and waited, gun aimed at the door, just in case. The door slammed open and Kozmotis came face to face with the end of a rifle, which surprised Kozmotis more than he wanted to admit. What surprised him even more was the man holding the rifle. There was Edgar Aster Bunnymund, the colonel that had recently worked under his command. The two of them stood there for a moment, eyes locked and guns pointed at each other, ready to fire at one wrong move. Oddly enough – or maybe not, it was Aster's wife that put an end to their little standoff. "Aster? Who's at the door?" Behind the well-muscled, tall man came a petite woman, her large violet eyes giving off obvious concern. Aster lowered his rifle, still glaring sharply at his superior officer.

"It's just Pitchiner." Aster grumbled, turning to Tatiana and running a calloused hand through his blue-grey hair. "Oh, don't get too excited, Bunnymund. Someone might think you're happy to see me." Kozmotis said dryly, raising a brow. At the mention of the general, Tatiana smiled, though there was still worry written all over her face. "Oh, General Pitchiner, how lovely to see you. Come in, won't you?" Kozmotis almost laughed at Aster's expression when the small woman invited him in. "I would love to, but I have my daughter and a friend with me. Is it alright if they come in as well?" "Of course, of course! Bring them up and come on in." He left the married couple as they started up an argument, most likely about the sudden stay.

"Jack, it's alright! The house is safe!" He called. Both Jack and Seraphina poked their heads out the window, getting an amused chuckle from the general. "Come on, you two." With a little bit more coaxing, Kozmotis had the two out of the car and up the steps. Aster was no longer at the door, but sulking inside while Tatiana waited outside. Both he and Jack smiled when Seraphina squealed happily and ran toward Tatiana. It was cute how much his daughter looked up to the dentist. Tatiana stooped down a little bit to catch the young girl in a hug, giggling and laughing softly as Tatiana lead Seraphina into the building with Jack and Kozmotis following not too far behind.

The cottage was as small on the inside as it was on the outside, but it was comfortable. It was very cozy with three extra people there, now. Aster looked up from putting his rifle away, sending a glare at Kozmotis. The colonel had never liked him. "We only have one guest room, so you'll all be sharin'." He said gruffly. Aster, like Kozmotis, was a tall man who stood at about the same height as Kozmotis, give or take an inch or two. But he had more bulk. He had a heavier build than his superior officer. He had stunning green eyes and a thick Australian accent, and possibly the only unattractive things about him were his slightly larger than normal front teeth and his attitude. "That's fine." Kozmotis replied coolly, expression set in a neutral mask. Yet again, there was a less than friendly stare off between the two which was broken up again by dear Tatiana.

"Aster, dear, why don't you come help me whip something up for dinner?" Tatiana placed one of her small hands on Aster's arm, looking up at him with a mix of concern and weariness. Kozmotis caught the look on her face and both he and Aster frowned. This chaos was taking a toll on all of them already. "Alright. I'll help." Aster quickly relented and let his wife pull him off toward the little kitchen. Tatiana paused and glanced over her shoulder. "The guest room is down the hall back there on the left, right across from ours. The bathroom is at the very end of the hall. You three go and get settled while we get dinner ready." She said kindly before resuming the short walk with Aster.

Kozmotis ushered his daughter off to the spare room with Jack just behind him. "I'm going to go out to the car and get a few things, alright. I'll be back in a minute or two." He smiled a little before he turned and went back out to get the emergency bag and a few extra blankets he always carried with him in the car. He figured that Seraphina would have the bed, so the extra blankets would be necessary. Kozmotis sighed and looked up at the sky. It was a deep red, fading to purple and orange and pink with the setting sun. It was nice to just take a minute to unwind after all the horrors today. But this was only the beginning. There were so many more to come… It seemed like forever ago that he had come home to spend time with his daughter.

**Yay for the pretend line!**

_Hey you guys! This is probably one of the more rushed chapters. We met like five characters in one go. I plan on adding the other two Guardians and all of the little children. I think I'll give this three or four more chapters, but keep in mind that they'll be around this length, so that should make up for how short this is. I started writing this monster a year ago after playing Choice of Zombies. Now I'm actually getting on the stick. With this chapter at least. Also, I may pair up Kozmotis and Jack if you like. It will give me some opportunities to slip in some fluff from Sera toward Jack. Let me know. I also may or may not add in a baby for Tooth and Bunny later. If you want, I can change the rating later or give you a separate 'deleted scene' or whatever. Review and criticism are nice, flames are not. Thank you all for reading!_

_-CTM_


	2. Chapter 2

_Ahhh, I'm sorry for the super long delay! I have this terrible thing with school and procrastination and writer's block. I've also run out of things to read, so I've turned back to writing to relieve my ever present boredom. So this is me, writing stories instead of studying and working on my AP homework. Huzzah. To make up for my long absence, I'll give you a long chapter._

_I don't own Choice of Zombies, Rise of the Guardians, or Guardians of Childhood. But I really wish I did._

**This is a line, kay.**

They passed the night fairly quietly. Tatiana had served a wonderful meal, Aster was graciously silent. For now, at least. Kozmotis couldn't care less about sleeping on the floor. They were safe for the night. Before going to bed, Kozmotis had gone over the plan with Tatiana and Aster; it was the least he could do. "We're leaving in the morning," He'd said. "It's safer for everyone if we keep moving. We could also use some help, so you're welcome to come if you want." Aster looked like he wanted to protest, but a sharp jab from his wife cut him off before he began. "I trust your judgment, at least. If what you say is true, then I don't think I would feel comfortable staying here. We'll do what we can to help." She smiled weakly, the sudden pressure of the dark news straining her pretty face.

Sleep would be hard to come by now, but Kozmotis couldn't sleep. He felt restless. He wanted to make sure his daughter, and now Jack as well, were safe. With another restless sigh, Kozmotis sat up from his little nest of blankets on the floor and stood to go stand by the little window. The stars twinkled at him from the sky, but there was no moon to be seen. A new moon. The general had never been one for superstitions, but the lack of moonlight made him uneasy. Were they going to survive this? And even if they did, would they come out of it with their minds still intact. In a sense, this was worse than war. Nobody seemed to know what to do, and Kozmotis wondered if he even knew what to do. But he had people to protect, and as long as he still had life in his body, he would keep them safe. With that in mind, he shuffled back from the window and to his nest. He should still try to sleep.

Everyone was up early the next day. Well, almost everyone. Kozmotis carried Seraphina out of the bedroom, walking silently down the hall were a quick breakfast and coffee were waiting. He had better enjoy the coffee while it lasted. This would most likely be the last time he had any for a very long time. He shared a small smile with Tatiana as he sat down. Jack was still half asleep in his chair and at risk of slumping face first into his breakfast. Aster, he assumed, had finished a while ago and was now gathering up supplies they would need. They ate quickly and Kozmotis went to go help Aster as soon as he was done. He may not have been very fond of the man, but petty dislike wasn't very high on the priority list at the moment.

Kozmotis found Aster in the hall closet, pulling out a small medical kit. It looked a little outdated and unused. The general eyed it warily. Aster must have caught the look because he made a grumpy sound and glares back. Oi, don't turn your nose up at it. Some is better than none, ain't it?" "I never said anything," Kozmotis said, putting his hands up in a show of non-aggression. He just got another grumble in response. "You have non-perishable food, don't you? We'll need a lot of it, since we probably won't be stopping very frequently after this. At least not in places where we can get food." Kozmotis inquired with a tilted head. Aster only seemed to glare at him harder for that. "You think we didn't already think of that? Tatiana packed up all of the food we could take earlier this morning before you lot even got up." With a sigh, Kozmotis just turned and walked away. He just couldn't win with this man. He would have more luck talking to Aster's wife. Why Tatiana even married the man, he will never know.

After that, it doesn't take long to get everything in order. They all pack up the car, take their seats, and head out.

About half an hour into the drive, Kozmotis glanced over at Jack to see how he was doing. The young man looked like he was playing around with a smartphone. "What are you doing?" He asked, turning his eyes back to the road. "Oh," Jack said, looking up briefly. "Well, I thought my phone had fallen out of my pocket when I was running away, but it didn't." He leaned back and tapped at the screen. "I checked to see if the internet was still up. It is which is kind of funny. Twitter actually has a _#zombiepocalypse survivor_ group going on. Looks like it's so people can check in and tell everyone they're okay." Jack paused for a minute or two, scrolling down to look at a few of the posts. "I'll put all of our names on it, okay." Kozmotis blinked and raised a brow. "Er… Alright." He had absolutely no idea what Jack was talking about. Again, he just wasn't a technology person.

"Huh," Jack said after a few more minutes. "This is weird." "What's weird?" Tatiana piped up from a row back. She leaned up a little bit to join the conversation.

"Okay, so there's all these Tweets, from the last few days-they're all from different people, and they all say things like _#still okay_ and _#not a zombie yet_ and stuff like that. Except there aren't any from yesterday or today. Everyone's gone dark. But there's still one guy-Nicholas North. He's been posting the same thing over and over again every few hours. The last few say _COME GET ME_, _Need transport to shelter_, and _Can provide protection_." Jack squints at his phone in concentration. "The name sounds familiar…" He shook his head and began to type. "I'm going to ask him for directions on how to get to him."

While Jack was doing that, Kozmotis glanced down at the gas gage out of reflex. It's just the smart thing to do when driving through the back country roads. The tank is about half full. That's about when Aster points out an upcoming gas station. It's little more than a single pump and a shack for a rest house, but it could still be working. "I'm not sure we should stop there…" Tatiana said quietly. Kozmotis silently agreed with her. It just looked too quiet to actually be safe. "Yeah, well it never hurts to bag some extra stuff. It's too far out to have been looted, I bet." An uneasy silence came over the car for a while. Kozmotis slowed down and looked at the tiny station. He came to a gradual stop at the turn off and glanced around at the other passengers. "Well? Do we want to stop or keep going?" Another long silence, and then, "Why not just pull in for a minute?" suggested Jack. Kozmotis hesitated for a while longer, but in the end, he rolled into the drive and parked next to the little pump.

"Alright, here's what we'll do. Two people are going to stay here to fill up the car and stand guard. Two people are going to go look through the shop and see if we can find anything. Understood?" He got a nod out of everyone but his daughter. Seraphina looked very put out. "But daddy, what about me? What do I get to do?" She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted up at him. Kozmotis sighed and gave her a tired smile. "You get to be our siren, sweetheart. You stay with the group at the car, and if you see anything bad, you scream as loud as you can." He knew they could all count on that. Seraphina could scream like a banshee when she was so inclined to do so.

Her face changed to something resembling determination. Kozmotis knew he could count on her. Both Aster and Tatiana slid out of their seats, followed by Jack. Once he was sure his daughter would be alright, Kozmotis stepped out and stretched. When he put his arms down and opened his eyes, he noticed a pair of eyes on him. He turned his head slightly to find Jack staring at him with a slightly awed look. The general blinked at Jack, frowning. "What?" That seemed to snap Jack out of his stupor. The boy shook his head and laughed nervously. "Nothing, just… I haven't really had the chance to notice how tall you were until now." Jack ducked his head and shifted uneasily. For now, Kozmotis left it alone. They had to work quickly.

Tatiana and Jack volunteered to stay with the car and top it off, which left Aster and Kozmotis to go scope out the shop. They didn't look at or talk to each other as they made the short walk to the creaky looking door. They really shouldn't have been surprised at the zombie shuffling toward the back corner of the store. It looked like it had trapped someone and was advancing forward. There was still the chance to save them, then, if they hadn't been bitten yet. "Pitchiner, I know what you're thinking," Aster growled. "It ain't worth it, mate. Don't do it." Kozmotis just shot him a look. "If you know what I'm thinking, then you know I'm going to try." They had worked together long enough, so Aster should know that by now. He was going to save this man. He didn't want to use the gun just yet unless he had to. They would need to save ammunition.

Kozmotis glanced around the shop to look for something to use. Along the left shelves were Frisbees, beach balls, whiffle balls, and plastic bats. A little further down there was a freezer full of bags of ice. Nothing very useful there. On the right side of the store there were cans of cat food, charcoal, lighter fluid, and some cookout type foods. Vaguely, Kozmotis wondered why there was cat food in the cookout display. However, in the time it had taken him to look around the store, the zombie had lost interest in the cowering person in the corner and had turned on them. For whatever reason, it seemed more interested in the two of them. With very little warning, it lunged forward. On a split second decision, Kozmotis jumped right. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Aster going for the person in the corner. Good.

What wasn't good was that the zombie was lurching after him as he scrambled for the shelves. As quickly as he could, Kozmotis grabbed one of the lighters and a jug of lighter fluid. His hands were shaking slightly as he wrenched the cap off of the jug. The zombie continued to shuffle forward and Kozmotis forced himself not to freeze up. He swung the lighter fluid in a wide arc, sending the liquid everywhere. A good splash lands on the zombie. He swung the container back again before pouring the rest of the jug out on the floor. The zombie had paused, seemingly confused by the lighter fluid. It didn't stop for long, but it was just enough time to flick the lighter on and dash out of the way.

"GO!" Kozmotis shouted. He dropped the lighter, as he ran. Aster was close behind him, carrying the other person over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Neither of them look back.

From there, it's a mad dash to the car. Aster is shouting at Jack and Tatiana to get in the car. The Australian ripped his door open and jumped in, slamming it behind him. The person from the store is unceremoniously tossed into the row behind them. Kozmotis jumped and rolled across the hood of his car. He caught a brief glimpse of Jack's startled expression before he landed on the driver's side and hurried in. Kozmotis barely managed to get his door shut before he cranked the key in the ignition and floored the gas. By the time they had started down the road, the entire station was in flames. A few more minutes on and they could all hear the explosion. The gas pump had blown, sending balls of fire in every direction.

They had been driving for what felt like a small eternity before Kozmotis felt his heart start to settle.

Eventually, Aster insisted they stop when they got to a wide open area a few more miles down the road. They had to make sure the person from the store hadn't been bitten. There were no bite marks, much to everyone's relief. But then Kozmotis really looked at the man. "Hang on a tick, is that…" He squinted and stepped closer. The man was short and chubby, with fluffy blonde hair sticking up in all direction. He had a kind face; one that Kozmotis would never forget. "Sanderson!"

He rushed forward, hands flying in a flurry of signs. He hadn't seen Sanderson in years! Sanderson grinned up at him, signing back. They spent a few minutes briefing each other on what had happened. When they were done, Kozmotis turned back to the rest of the group with a smile. "Everyone, this is Sanderson Mansnoozie; Sandy for short. He's a friend of mine from college. He said he was trying to get to the interstate to get to Mr. North, but apparently his car broke down." Kozmotis turned back to Sandy, signing again, He pointed to each member of their group and told him their names. "Um… Can you ask him if he wants to come with us?" Tatiana asked quietly, still keeping a wary eye on the short man. "Well, if we're all going to the same place, then I think he should come. Besides, safety in numbers." Jack said, shrugging. Kozmotis caught the young man staring again, but he paid it no mind.

"Sandy will be coming with us." Kozmotis announced after a minute or two more of silent conversation. "Just so everyone knows where we're going, Mr. North is apparently in the transfer station a few miles from here on exit 13." After all of the talking was done, everyone piled back into the car, now with a permanent sixth member. "Our family is even bigger now." Seraphina said, bouncing happily in her seat. Even though most of them weren't blood related, nobody bothered to correct the little girl. The statement was true, after all.

There were flowers blooming along the road. They were vivid shades of pink and purple and every other color. The breeze blew around them, making them wave gently as the group drove by. Pennsylvania at its finest. It really should look lovely. But there were cars crashed and abandoned all up and down the interstate. And Jack was complaining weakly about seeing a hand in the wildflowers. That isn't lovely at all. Slowly, cautiously, Kozmotis rolled the car into the entrance of the transfer station. They came to a stop and almost everyone leaned forward or pressed themselves against a window to see out and get a good look at their surroundings. The car has stopped in front of a wide paved area that is almost completely surrounded by barbed wire at the perimeter. Aster cursed loudly as he got a good look out. "The entire place is fucking overrun with those undead bastards!" Aster growled. He was promptly slapped in the back of the head by Tatiana. "No bad words in front of children." Tatiana shook a delicate finger in her husband's face. Aster grumped under his breath, but had better sense than to argue.

Kozmotis hummed, thinking hard as he watched the lurching figures move across the pavement and among the abandoned cars. At the far end, he could see the transfer building. It was a multistory building that looked a little like an oversized shack to him. "Look," Jack said, pointing toward the bottom of the building. There was more fencing surrounding the base, but Kozmotis could see where Jack was pointing to. "There are some openings there that probably lead to the pit floor. Like where trucks can dump their garbage." Jack dropped his hand and grinned up at the general. He managed to return a small smile to the young man. Sure enough, there was a wide open space where a truck was parked with the bed slightly raised. It must have been in the process of unloading trash when the attacks started up.

"Some of those zombies are probably the employees. Their parking lot is right next to the pit floor." Tatiana said, watching with some kind of morbid fascination as the undead milled around what could have been their cars. "Yeah, but there's too many of them to all be employees. Where did the other ones come from?" Jack asked. He turned in his seat to look back at the couple and the little girl. Aster snorted and rolled his eyes. "It's obvious, ain't it? They were probably drawn by the smells coming from the pit." Everyone shuddered. Kozmotis thought he could hear somebody gag. That wasn't something he wanted to think about.

"Daddy, look! There's a man on that tower!" Seraphina had pulled herself forward so that she was halfway into the front of the car. Everyone turned their gazes up to the top of the smokestack that stood just to the left of the transfer building. There on the catwalk among the scaffolding was a rather large looking man in a bright red coat. Kozmotis assumed that this must be Nicholas North.

Half a dozen zombies were surrounding the area, sluggishly pulling the metal mesh back and forth and staring up at the potential meal with their blank eyes. They were not being particularly efficient about it, but the fence would come down eventually. They must have run out of everything else to eat. That was when Jack's phone cheeped. Jack glanced down at it and read the message. "He's asking if we're here yet. He says that he saw our car coming in. He's on top of the smokestack." The young man looked up from his phone to the general, gaze questioning. "Alright. Er… Tell him we're here, I guess." He said, suppressing the urge to shrug. Almost as soon as the message was sent, the phone began to ring. Jack answered it and put it on speaker. "Hello," says the voice on the other end. The accent is thick and the voice sounds tinny through the speakerphone. Kozmotis guessed that it could be Russian. "This is Nicholas."

"Kozmotis." The general says in lieu of a hello. He kept a wary eye on the various hordes of zombies.

"You will want to be careful." North said. "This place is full of zombies." As if they had missed that fact so far, Kozmotis thought dryly to himself. "Inside and out," North continued. "I am thinking couple people came to work with infection. Incubation time from biting is about one hour as far as I can tell from people I have seen, assuming you are not just killed. If you are already dead, BOOM! Instant zombie! It spread through this place very fast. I knew that only chance to live for me was to get to the tower and make barricade."

North sounded pretty proud of himself. Had he not noticed that he had put himself in a position where there are several floors and several zombies between himself and safety? Kozmotis mentions something to that effect. "Bah, is fine," North laughed. Kozmotis could picture him waving a hand dismissively, as though all of their lives were not in danger. "I have plan."

"I have had lot of time to watch them. They are very distractible. They will go after nearest shiny thing. Or loud thing. And I can see everything from here." North said in what could have been an encouraging and reassuring manner. It really wasn't. But North did seem to have some valuable information. "So here is plan. You see that truck? The keys are still in. I can help you sneak to it. You start it and get it pointed downhill, and fix block of wood or something to hold gas pedal down. Maybe get the horn to beep too. The zombies will all flock after it, and as soon as they're drawn away from incinerator fence, I come down the ladder and we get out of here. Is perfect, no?"

"I think I hate this plan." Aster deadpanned. Well, the plan didn't seem too bad, but it was risky. "Well, do you have a better plan, Bunnymund?" Kozmotis glanced back at the Australian, raising a brow expectantly. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I do." Aster puffed out his chest and raised his chin up. "You drive away from the door, honk the horn a few times and get their attention. They'll follow us. Then ya just run 'em down as they come and we meet the guy by the door when we get 'em all. Simple. And nobody has to get out of the car." That could be a possibility, but there were a lot of zombies out there. "I think we should use the first plan." Kozmotis decided. "Okay," North said quietly. "You will have to have to approach truck from the pit floor. I can see everything from here, and there are no zombies in the lunch area behind building. So you could climb the perimeter fence near the lunch area and run into the transfer building. Or if you don't want to climb, there is hole in the fence near the employee cars. You could hide behind cars and sneak into the building."

For a moment, Kozmotis considered his options. Climbing the fence would put him at risk from the barbed wire at the top, but it would put him exactly where he needed to be. Leapfrogging past all of the cars would put him perilously close to the zombies ambling around outside, but if he was quiet, it should be possible. He hesitated for another minute before quietly pushing his door open. Before he stepped out, he felt a hand on his arm. Kozmotis turned, his golden gaze meeting Jack's icy blue gaze. He expected the boy to ask him not to go, but he was surprised. "Be careful, okay. Come back in one piece." Jack said softly. They held the gaze for a few more seconds before Kozmotis turned away. "I'll try." But there would be no promises.

With his heart in his throat, the general slipped through the hole in the fence. Just on the other side of the cars, he could hear the zombies shuffling about. For the most part, the cars could provide some protection, but there were a few gaps where he would have to make a run for it. He could only hope that none of them saw him.

Kozmotis quickly made has way past the first too cars, looking over his shoulder to his car. Everyone was leaning forward with wide eyes. Even Aster looked a little nervous. The first gap was coming up. Kozmotis peeked out from behind the bumper and held his breath. There were two zombies standing there, so close he could have reached out to touch them if he had wanted to. Lucky for him, they were looking in the opposite direction. He crouched down, took a deep breath, then darted forward. He froze behind the next car, heart pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of his chest. Neither of the zombies pursued him. He got past the next car and dashed again. On the last run, Kozmotis made it to the lunch area. A few zombies turned their heads then, but the general had already ducked into the building.

Kozmotis nearly heaved as he eased into the pit floor. The inside of the transfer station reeked of meat and slimy things and vomit and diapers and whatever else was in people's trash. The whole place looked like one big garage and the truck he needed was on the far side of the pit. It would be difficult and probably very stupid to try to run straight to the truck. It would be too easy to get caught by a horde of hungry zombies. There was a set of stairs and a platform leading almost directly to the truck. It wasn't nearly as risky, but the horde still might be able to see him. They wouldn't be able to do very much about it if he went up to the platform, but the situation could change while he was up there. Sprint across or take the stairs…

The situation changed while Kozmotis thought. Movement on the platform drew the general's attention, and he caught sight of a solitary zombie shuffling along by the railing. Still, it was only one… And there was a fire extinguisher right there by the staircase. He acted quickly. Kozmotis silently took the fire extinguisher, crept up the stairs, and raised the metal canister. The zombie had just started to turn when Kozmotis brought the extinguisher down hard. It collided with the zombie's head with a dull thunk, adding coagulated blood and brain to the fire truck red metal.

It was almost comical how the zombie toppled sideways and cartwheeled over the railing. Kozmotis glanced over the railing just in time to see the zombies on the floor below swarm their fellow to gnaw on its skewed limbs. After that, he sprinted the rest of the way over to the truck, stumbled down the stairs, and carefully oven the passenger door to slide into the driver's seat. Zombies clustered around the truck, banging their fists uselessly on the sides. They left disgusting smears on the sides as their wet, rotting skin made contact with the metal and glass. Just as North had said, the keys were in the ignition. Kozmotis started the truck.

He gunned the engine to start it up and attract as much attention as possible, even blowing the horn a few times for good measure. With the fire extinguisher, Kozmotis wedged the engine down. Then he pressed down on the clutch, engaged the first gear, and pushed himself over to the other side of the cab as far as he could without letting up on the clutch. He reached over, shoved open the passenger door, released the clutch, and jumped. He was in freefall for a second or two, jarred and slightly nauseated as the ground rushed up to meet him. The zombies that had been in front of the truck were now flat on their backs being used as speed bumps, and the ones in back were being dragged all over the pavement. Kozmotis had landed heavily, but had thankfully gone unnoticed as the zombies not attached to the truck chased after it.

"North, go!" Kozmotis shouted into the phone. The general made his way outside and watched as the fat man in the red coat barreled down the circular staircase around the tower.

"Zamechatel'no!" North exclaimed when they met up at the base of the tower. "That was truly inspiring!" Frankly, Kozmotis thought so as well. He had done pretty damn good today.

When they got back to the car, North in tow, Jack leapt at the man. "Uncle North! I'm so glad you're okay!" The two shared broad grins, and Kozmotis could see how they might be family. Same smiles, same mischievous twinkle in similar blue eyes. "Jackie! Is very good to see you again! I see you have found good man to be with in hard times." North teased him, nudging the young man with a huge forearm. The fat man nodded his head in Kozmotis' direction with a suggestive look. Jack's face turned red and he started to splutter. "N-no, it isn't like that!"

Kozmotis sighed and put a hand on Jack's shoulder. "We really do need to get going. We don't know if or when another hoard might come by." North laughed, slapping the general on the back as he walked by. The force nearly knocked the poor man over. North clambered into the back seat as Jack and Kozmotis took their places up front.

"So, uh… I think you may have just gone from 'zombiepocalypse survivor' to 'zombiepocalypse force to be reckoned with' out there." Jack said once they were on their way. "That was… pretty awesome." Kozmotis chuckled and offered a brighter smile. He liked this boy.

Along the drive, North shared some information about himself. He was a toymaker and a toy inventor, though he sometimes worked other odd jobs to pay the bills. He was more of a family friend than an actual blood relative to Jack, but that hardly mattered. "So," North said jovially. "Where are we going?" "Burgess Mall." Aster said, looking for all the world like he would rather be anywhere else. "Hmm… That may not be good choice. From what I have seen, it looks like dead human is stronger than average alive human. It means we really need a place that is secure. I am thinking that mall is not so secure."

"Yeah," Aster said. "But it seems-"

"I have been thinking about what makes them so much stronger than us. It looks to me like they're operating at full peak exertion—maybe even more. How they do that without lot of energy is not clear to me, but human muscle formations are capable of significant feats of strength beyond what we normally operate at."

Aster tried to interrupt then to get his point across. "I'm not sure-"

"I saw some really interesting tests in one of the labs on mechanics of the human body. You would be amazed by the possible forces the larger muscle groups can exert. Most of us never get to that limit, but somehow zombies are right on that edge. I would not be surprised to see them snap their own arms. So, we need somewhere that average body builder couldn't break into."

"Hey," Aster tried again. "Maybe-"

"You have to wonder what chemical reactions are going on in those bodies to allow this to happen. Hey, it makes more sense now why they're after meat—is high in protein and fat and probably good source of energy. Makes me wonder if they might just burn themselves out—like nuclear reactor—that would be good, except what will we do with all the corpses? Maybe we can put them in huge hole with the spent uranium. That would burn up the bodies, too.…"

North didn't seem to take a breath the entire way to the mall, and Aster looked like he had given up trying to get a word in edgewise. He was sitting hunkered down in his seat with a stormy expression on his face. Across from him, Tatiana just rolled her eyes. This was probably a normal thing for her.

The sun is hanging low in the sky by the time they pull into the parking lot. Two or three of the occupants are dozing in their seats. Kozmotis frowns as he surveys the parking lot and the building. Everything looks abandoned and quiet.

Too quiet.

**Yo, this is the line because I can't make lines. Technology hates me, guys.**

**Zamechatel'no**-Wonderful/Wow (Russian)

_FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK! _

_I'm really sorry about how long this took you guys! I've been so busy, and I'm pretty sure my work load through November has given me an ulcer. But it's better now. Kind of. The only reason I got on the stick and wrote this chapter is because I literally had nothing else to do. This is what happens to me on an eight hour car ride. Fanfiction. The plot bunnies attack me at my weakest state. But it means you get another chapter. Possibly two. Maybe even three. I kind of want to keep writing for this story now. It's 11:00 p.m. here right now, and I'm on the verge of starting a new chapter. I don't think I'll kill off anyone important, but there will be more zombies yet to come. And more explosions. I hope you guys liked the explosion. So, this thing is about 5,500 words long. I hope you guys appreciate how long this took me to write. _

_So, I really want your opinions. I do plan on putting Jack and Kozmotis together, but when do you guys want that to happen? How much do you want? Should I change the rating later on and throw in a sex scene? Do you want a baby for Tooth and Bunny? I wanna hear from you guys. Please R&amp;R, but no flames. Constructive criticism is welcome._


	3. Chapter 3

_So, like I said, here's the next chapter. I'm going to try to write more, because I'm actually getting into this story now, but no promises. I should have more time to write soon, since I'll be going to Hawai'i for a week. An eight hour plane ride there and back should give me plenty of time. We also had a snow day this week, but all I did was watch movies and draw characters from Epic._

_Also, just to clear a few things up, I see Tatiana as sort of Indian. As in, from India. I'm going to keep the mixed heritage thing, so her mom was from India but her dad wasn't. So yeah. Messing with all of the cultures in this story is fun._

_I don't own Choice of Zombies, Rise of the Guardians, or Guardians of Childhood._

**Line Break**

Nobody got out of the car when they stopped. Something seemed wrong here. They should have at least had a lookout here, shouldn't they? "Yeah, they should have." Aster said sourly. Kozmotis blinked. He hadn't realized he had said that out loud. "Bunch of incompetents; just our luck." Tatiana sighed and began trying to calm her husband down. "There's no reason to get upset, Bunny. We just need to be careful here." She said gently. Kozmotis was glad they had Tatiana with them. Sometimes, she acted like the only sane person in the car.

Before anyone could stop her, Seraphina crawled up to the front seat and pressed her chubby little hands to the front of the steering wheel. Everyone jumped and yelped when the horn blared. Well, if there were any zombies here, at least they would know. By the time Kozmotis managed to lift his daughter away from the wheel, a young woman's face appeared in the window. She shouted at them through the glass, directing them to the loading dock around in the back. They found it with no problems. A paved side road led them out of the front parking lot to a pair of huge steel double doors that were built into the ground. Nobody was there to meet them when they came to a stop a minute later. They waited.

Everything was still. It was creepy. Everyone was uneasy. Seraphina wiggled unhappily from where she had been placed in Jack's lap.

Finally, one of the doors slowly opened a crack and everyone cautiously stepped out of the car. Kozmotis, Aster, and North grabbed all of their supplies from the car and everyone slowly made their way up to the door. Seraphina had insisted on being picked up halfway to the door, so the general hefted her up in his arms and tolerated the arms that had woven themselves around his neck and shoulders. They stared down the barrel of a gun for a few seconds and a steely brown eye. "Are any of you doctors?" asked a wary female voice. She sounded fairly young, Kozmotis noted briefly. "We have some medical training," Aster said carefully, gesturing to himself and the general. "We're in the Army." Kozmotis added after a pause.

"Why do you ask?" The Australian demanded, stepping forward. "There isn't any cure for zombieism, y'know. So if you're hiding any of those bastards in there-" The woman waved him off, lowering her gun. She must have decided they were safe enough. "No, nothing like that," she said as she opened the door wide for them. "There was a bus out front earlier that brought a group of people that were injured in a big traffic accident in Bedford. Some of them are hurt pretty badly. Follow me; quickly."

The young woman, who had introduced herself as Katherine, led them through the basement, up the stairs, and up to the actual mall area. She looked like she could have still been in high school. Up ahead there comfortable looking, squishy chairs that look like they'd grown in the center of every shopping mall. The whole place was lit cheerfully with artificial lights and it smelled a little like coffee. There where tents dotting the floors and people all over were talking and mingling. Kozmotis began to relax at the sight. He could feel his daughter's arms start to loosen up from around his neck. The rest of his group looked like they were letting out a breath, deflating and letting the tension unwind.

The tension came back twofold when the unmistakable sound of zombie moans filtered through from the storefront. It was a little off to the left, between his group and the squishy chair area. Aster seemed to be thinking the same thing. The Australian was reaching for his gun while Kozmotis handed his daughter off to Tatiana and Jack. He and Aster drew their guns and ran to find the danger. "No, no, no! Wait! It's okay! It's okay!" Katherine said, putting a firm hand on each of their shoulders. Amusement and sympathy struggled for dominance in her voice. Her eyes sparkled at them. "I'm really sorry about that. I should have warned you all when you came in. I know what it sounds like. You're actually the first group to arrive since we set up the-what did you call it, Nightlight?"

"Simulation Tank." said a new voice. Kozmotis jolted and whipped his head around to see the speaker. It was a young man, perhaps about Katherine's age. His hair was a platinum blonde mop and he wore a simple but nice combination of a turtleneck and slacks.

"Some of the kids are in there playing right now," Katherine said as she moved to lean against Nightlight's shoulder. "Seemed like it could be useful and, well… less hazardous than using guns and looking for real zombies." For a moment, Kozmotis let his annoyance show on his face and he knew Aster was letting his discontent show for the world to see. Not zombies, the general told himself. Not Zombies. Zombie games. Which they apparently hadn't felt the need to tell them about. Kozmotis took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair to calm himself down.

"I really am sorry," Katherine said again, expression completely contrite now, all traces of amusement were gone. She smiled at the two men before she continued to lead them to the squishy chair area, past the 'simulation tank' and a coffee shop where a pair of little old ladies looked to be preparing meals. Nightlight took Tatiana, North, Sandy, Jack, and Sera off somewhere else; presumably somewhere where they could get settled. Kozmotis allowed himself a smile when he caught Sera reach up to hold hands with Jack out of the corner of his eye. "I appreciate your understanding." Katherine adds, drawing Kozmotis' attention back. "I'll take you to the mattress store where we've put the injured."

Kozmotis shared a look with Aster as they approached the store, both frowning when the sound of more moaning reached their ears. This wasn't zombies, or another simulation tank. Inside the mattress store, dozens of injured and very alive people were scattered about, separated by colored blankets. The injuries the pair saw ranged from cuts and scrapes, maybe some bad bruising all the way to compound fractures and mangled limbs. Some of the people looked as though they would die any second now. Katherine hadn't been kidding about the severity of the accident.

An elderly man looks up as they enter, eyeing them briefly before turning his attention to Katherine. "They're the new medics." She said with a wan smile. The man let out a relieved breath before moving on to shake hands with Aster and Kozmotis. "Oh, thank goodness," The old man said with a weak chuckle. "I have some basic first aid training, but I've been completely overwhelmed here. My name is Ombric, by the way. Just tell me how I can help you." After introductions were finished, Aster rolled up his sleeves and took a look around the room before he began barking orders. Kozmotis just sighed and began to gather supplies so he could start work on the severe, but not fatal injuries.

He glanced back at Ombric and quietly pointed him over to the dying. "There isn't much we can do for them. Make them as comfortable as you can for now." With that, Kozmotis went to go treat his own group of patients.

The general hadn't been working long when a light tap on his shoulder made him look up from setting a young woman's leg. A willowy young girl, perhaps about eleven years old, stood a little off to the side. "I'm Pippa. I can get you more stuff from the drugstore if you need it." Kozmotis watched her for a moment, gaging her hopeful brown eyes. "That is very kind of you, young lady, but I don't need anything right now." He watched as she seemed to deflate a little, so he added a soft, "But I'll be sure to come to you when I do need something." That and a quick smile seemed to lift her spirits.

Kozmotis worked diligently; removing glass, setting bones, stitching gashes, and anything else that needed to be done. He tried very hard not to think about the severely injured triage group at the far side of the room-he knows for a fact that many of them will not make it, may not even last the night-and spoke calmly with the others when he could coax them into some conversation. Some were more willing to socialize with him than others. He would listen to them talk amongst each other when they wouldn't talk to him.

"Woman, I said we should have gone to Long Island." And older man with a compound fracture grouched at the woman beside him. Probably his wife, Kozmotis thought with a small pang in his chest. Yes, those two were definitely married. He could see their rings. "We should have taken a boat from the dock. The only ones I know are out there are a few of my relatives. If we had gone there, we could have avoided this whole mess."

Kozmotis was distracted from the couple's conversation when an argument broke out at the other end of the room. He stood up to see Aster arguing with the young girl from earlier, who was holding an armful of medical supplies. They are using what they probably think are quiet voices, but really aren't. He can see some of the nearby patients watching the argument warily.

"Look, kid," Aster said, making a grab for the supplies in Pippa's arms. "There ain't no point in wasting my time or the limited supplies we have on a bunch of people who are just going to die anyway!" The Australian snapped at her as she stumbled back. "That's the first rule of triage!"

"But that's cruel!" Pippa yelled back at him, curling around her supplies protectively. "You have to do something to help them!" Aster's face twisted into an ugly snarl as he advanced forward. "Sentiment doesn't save lives in the long run, kid." That was enough for Kozmotis to stand and stride across the room, stepping between the colonel and the girl. "That's enough." The general said sternly, fixing Aster with a stony expression. "But-" "I said that's enough, colonel." Kozmotis shifted forward and straightened his posture, daring the Australian to defy him. They stood there for a moment, just glaring, before Aster growled and stalked off.

Once he was sure Aster had left, Kozmotis pulled the girl aside and bent down to be eye level with her. "It's hard, isn't it?" He said to her gently, resting a hand on her shoulder. "But that's just the nature of triage. You help the people that can be helped, even if it hurts to let some people die." For a few more minutes, Kozmotis spoke with Pippa, brushing away a few tears when it was needed. But eventually, she reluctantly agrees to go put back the supplies and Kozmotis felt safe in letting her be.

After that, he returned back to his work, treating wounds and talking with the people for hours. By the time they had everyone stabilized for the night, it was dark outside and both Kozmotis and Aster were exhausted. He watched as the other man wandered off back to the town, probably to go find Tatiana. While Kozmotis shuffled back to the little 'town' area, he saw the two little old ladies at work making some kind of drink.

Before he got back though, Jack stopped him. The boy's expression was dark and his eyes looked suspiciously bright. He didn't say anything, but he obviously needed someone to talk to. So, Kozmotis carefully took Jack by the arm and steered him to one of the couches that had been moved to the outskirts of the chair area. He waited for a few minutes to let the boy get his thoughts together before asking, "What's wrong, Jack?" Jack looked up at him with uncertain eyes, shifting uncomfortably. "It's…" He started shakily, drawing a sharp breath. "It's Bunnymund. I don't understand why he acts like he hates me so much."

Well, Kozmotis thought, this was a promising start to a conversation if he had ever heard one. "What do you mean, Jack? Why would you think Aster hates you?" He reached out, resting his hand on the young man's back. "He's just always so angry. Even when I was trying to help earlier, he said I was useless and dead weight." Jack looked like he was trying hard to keep himself from complaining too much. Kozmotis could see pink blotches starting to form on Jack's pale cheeks before the young man ducked his head. "I mean, I get that he holds more sway with the group because he can do more, but I'm afraid that you'll just leave me behind if I try to do anything about it. I don't want to be alone. I just don't know what I can do." Jack finished off with a wavering voice, shoulders tense. Kozmotis sighed and pulled Jack closer to him.

"Hey now," He chided gently, giving Jack's shoulder a squeeze. "Don't say things like that. We're not going to leave you behind, Jack. I won't let that happen. "You're family now, and family always takes care of each other; no matter what.

Jack raised his eyes, a flicker of hope rising up in them. "Really?" He asked, like he wasn't sure if he could believe what the general had told him. "Really." Kozmotis said with what he hoped was a reassuring look.

"I still don't know why Bunnymund doesn't like me." Jack huffed, but he looked much better than he had when he had first come to Kozmotis. "Oh Jack, Aster doesn't like anyone but his wife. In fact, I'm fairly certain Tatiana is the only reason he's mellowed out this much. When I first met him, he looked like he could murder any poor sod that looked at him wrong." That got a weak laugh out of Jack, at least, so Kozmotis felt that the crisis had been averted. He stood, offering his hand to Jack. "Come on. I think they're still serving food, if you haven't eaten yet." Jack glanced down at his hand, staring at it blankly for a beat before he took it. "You have a ring." Jack blurted, then quickly clammed up and flushed. "Hm? Oh, yes." He looked down at the gold band on his finger when Jack let go of his hand. "I was married for a little over three years." Kozmotis rubbed at the warm metal, gaze wistful. "Was?" Jack tilted his head and frowned. "She wasn't… well…" "Zombified? No. I lost her a long time ago. When my daughter was born." Kozmotis said quietly as they slowly made their way back to the 'town'.

There were still a few meal trays when they got back, so they both ate together in a companionable silence. Jack still seemed a little more subdued than usual, but Kozmotis chalked that up to the long day they'd all had and the little emotional bump he'd gotten through. When they finally went to bed, Kozmotis was pleasantly surprised at how soft the sleeping bags and pillows were. After sleeping in a crowded car for days on end, even something as simple as a tent and sleeping bag was a blessing.

They spent almost a week at the mall, recovering their strength and their own supplies while they tried to help whoever needed it. Seraphina had made friends with a group of children during their stay, Pippa among them. There were two other girls and four boys, two of which Kozmotis thought were twins. Kozmotis often saw Katherine around, sometimes bringing in more people as refugees and patients. He noticed Nightlight seemed to follow the young woman around.

They couldn't stay there forever, though. While the mall was full of food and supplies, it was also full of people. There were also windows covering a large part of the exterior, leaving the building vulnerable. It would be better for them to get out sooner rather than later before something went wrong. Upon Tatiana's request, they all agreed to stay one more night, just to gather their things and prepare to leave.

Kozmotis was walking back from the mattress store on their last night by himself. Aster had left a little early to help his wife with a few last minute adjustments. They would be leaving early in the morning. As he passed the chairs, he watched in amusement as North was talking and gesturing animatedly at Sandy, who seemed to be indulging the big man by letting him talk. Jack was playing with one of the boys Seraphina was friends with. Then he frowned, looking around carefully. His stomach twisted as panic began to set in.

"Excuse me." Kozmotis said loudly, catching the attention of several people nearby. "Has anyone seen my daughter? Where is Seraphina?"

**Line Break**

_I'm very fond of cliffhangers, if you can't already tell. I'm sorry if this chapter was a little short and dull. It should pick up a bit in the next chapter. Also, I really would like to see some feedback, you guys. I want to know what you guys think and what you want to see. Thanks!_


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